Egypt's Azhar Grand Imam, sheikh Ahmed Tayyeb has underlined the importance of abiding by all medical and regulatory instructions set by official bodies to confront the coronavirus pandemic, including avoiding gatherings and taking care of personal hygiene.

Ignoring these instructions is tantamount to committing sins, Al-Tayyeb stressed in a televised speech on Sunday.

He added that spreading rumours on the coronavirus to intimidate people and undermine their confidence in the state's measures to cope with this crisis is religiously prohibited.

"My advice to tackle this affliction is to make use of all available medical, preventive and scientific means... in addition to maximizing philanthropic acts," he added.

Al-Tayyeb has also praised all health sector workers, saying that they "risk their lives to confront the deadly illness."

The Grand Imam also expressed his solidarity with all countries hit with the fast-growing virus.

The virus has claimed thousands of lives around the world in several months since it first surfaced in the chinese city of Wuhan.